And now, before next year's centenary, the controversy looks to have been resolved following the news that an application for a grant is about to be made for a life-size bronze statue of Duncan Chapman, from Maryborough in Queensland. The statue will sit on a plinth that states that Chapman, of the Ninth (Queensland) Battalion, was the first man ashore, Fairfax Media has been told.

It will be based on the striking likeness of a wooden carving and is expected to cost $60,000. It will be placed outside the town's RSL club in time for the centenary.

The day after: Australian and New Zealand troops at Anzac Cove on April 26, 1915. Photo: Australian War Memorial

Less convinced, however, is the family of Sergeant Joseph Stratford. He was born in Lismore before heading north to the sugar cane fields of Queensland to also sign up with the Ninth Battalion.

Plans were also being considered for a memorial in his home town, with residents and descendants hopeful that an inscription would declare that it was, in fact, Stratford, then 32, who was first out of the landing craft. Reports say he bayoneted two Turks before dying in a hail of bullets.

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Descendant Bev Maxwell, from Dubbo, said her research pointed to her "Uncle Joe" being first ashore.

"I know that Charles Bean, the person who wrote most of the history on the war [said it was Chapman], but I feel we have a lot of overwhelming proof," she said. "When my great grandfather was searching for his son, who was still missing in action, a lot of the Red Cross letters suggested that he was the first ashore. As far as our family is concerned, we feel he was the first."

Her brother, William Stratford, has the same view. "The other man may have been the first on another beach – I don't know. Or another boat. But as far as I am concerned, my Uncle Joe was the first to land," he said.

The claim from the Stratford camp has credibility. The Uniting (formerly Methodist) Church in Lismore has a plaque that states: "In memory of Sgt Joseph Stratford who attended the mid-Lismore Methodist Church Sunday School. Eyewitnesses state that he was the first Australian to land at Gallipoli."

A Queensland school was also named in honour of Stratford. Reporting that fact, the Lismore newspaper, The Northern Star, stated in October 1939: "A signal honour has been paid to the memory of the late Sergeant Joseph Stratford, a Lismore district native, who was the first Australian to land at Gallipoli, and was killed in action about midday on the day of the landing."

The same paper reported in November 1916 that Stratford's parents on "Monday night" had received a telegram from the Defence Department stating that their son had been killed in action on April 25th, 1915.

The newspaper report added: "This recalls the belief, on the evidence of a returned Victorian soldier, that Sgt Stratford was the first man to land. The assertion was made by Private Studley Gahan, son of Councillor J. Gahan, of Wellingwood, that 'Joe Stratford was the first of Australia's troops ashore at Gallipoli, Lieut. Jones was second, and I was third'."

The president of the Lismore RSL branch, Cecil Harris, confirmed there were no plans to create a centenary memorial to Stratford.

"We cannot positively say that Joseph was the first man ashore at Gallipoli," he said. "As far as we are concerned, because of that doubt, he will be treated the same as all the other 191 soldiers on our memorial board."

Meanwhile, in Maryborough, plans are afoot for the centenary celebrations of their local hero.

John Meyers, founder of the Maryborough Military and Colonial Museum, said: "The RSL was only telling me yesterday that they are looking at doing a statue of him for the 25th of April next year. Charles Bean's always recognised Chapman as being the first man ashore and we're sticking with it."

He added: "I am not going to be hard and fast and say Duncan Chapman is definitely the one because it was still pretty dark, and who knows who was the first one to put his foot ashore? But one would think that the officer was more than likely to leap out of the boat first so that he can be directing the troops as to what he wants them to do."

Lieutenant Chapman survived the Gallipoli campaign but was killed the following year on the Western Front.

He was the great uncle of John Chapman, from Buderim, on the Sunshine Coast.

"We are delighted that there are plans to put a statue up and more delighted that there seems to be widespread confirmation that Uncle Duncan, as we call him, was actually the first one to come ashore at Gallipoli. It is something we have been hopeful of for some time," Mr Chapman said.